? Insulin & Back Fat (the bit under shoulder blades or bra strap) – excess fat here, is down to your TOLERANCE of carbs. Too much here, and you might want to reduce certain carbs.

? On your side/middle of rib cage – this is related to your THYROID and how efficient/productive it is.

? Stomach & Cortisol – Excess here is down to stress. Before you go blaming the kids or partner, stress is MANY formats, from mental to food intolerances, too much caffeine/alcohol etc – all of which, when done often, place stress on the digestive system.

Once the kids are back to school, I’ll go a bit more in depth with each of these,

If your workouts are becoming a bit stale, here’s SEVEN ways to changeup your workouts and change the intensity ;

1) Add in a pause.

When you reach the ‘bottom’ of a movement, pause for 2-3 seconds. Pressup,overhead press, lunge or squat at the bottom position, weights machine, when the movement comes ‘into’ the body’.

2) Change the tempo.

If you’re used to ‘going through the motions’ of a repetition, change the speed.

Lower under control for 3-5seconds, pause for 1 then raise for2 seconds.

Lower under control for 3-5 seconds, pause for 1 then raise for 1 >>> THIS slow eccentric lowering and explosive rising is very effective and fatiguing!

3) Change the goal.

Usually work for repetitions?

Work for time, swap to 30, 45, 50 or 60 second round.

4) Try a drop set.

Effective when using weights. Perform and exercise until you fatigue and can’t do another ‘decent’ repetition.

Lower the weight by 1-2 plates or 3-5kg, and go again to fatigue. Then lower and go again. Do this for 3-4 continuous rounds. A muscle is built up of many different fibres, some stronger than others. Allow the weaker ones to fatigue then keep working to fatigue the stronger ones etc.

5) Overload the muscle your working.

Pick 2 exercises back to back working the same muscles but different movement to properly work/fatigue them.

So maybe Pressups into Dips.

Pulldowns into cable Rows.

Shoulder Press into Lateral Raises

Pressups into Overhead DB Extension

Jump Squats into Lunges

6) Superset.

This involves 2 exercises back to back, without a rest, then rest and repeat.

You can do this many ways.

One is like the above, picking 2 exercises to work the same muscle group.

Another is opposing muscles, so a pushing exercise into a pulling one (Pressups into Cable Rows etc)

Another is an upper body into lower body (This pushes the blood to the upper body then into the lower body, elevating the heart rate further)

7) Perform a Full Body Triset.

Without a break, perform an UPPER BODY exercise, into a LOWER body exercise (shifting blood up to down) then perform a FULL body heart raiser exercise. Rest and repeat for X rounds.

? Definition only comes from providing an ‘overload stimulus’ to the muscles, that they feel the need to build up again, but stronger, and in effect bigger.

?Lift a challenging weight (safely) that allows 8-10 reps, aiming for 3-5 rounds or sets of. Like anything, the quicker you want results, the more often it needs to be, anything up to 5 times a week ……… I did say the work needs to be done!

Maybe it’s around;
– Why you can’t lose weight at the moment?
– Why you can’t workout at the moment?
– Why you can’t go to bed earlier?
– Why you can’t not drink in the week?
– Why you can’t plan meals a day+ in advance?
– Why you can’t address some of the things NOT working currently?
– Why you can’t appreciate how well you’re doing, and stop beating yourself up?
– Why there is NO wagon, so if you have a few ‘off choices’ it doesn’t stop you improving those.

Most of the above, maybe even more,
are just stories you’re likely telling yourself …….. could even have been saying them for some time now that you actually believe them,
and find it easier to keep ‘reading the same page’ ?

But any time you want to turn the page,
close the book, and start a new one you can.

1. What needs to change, start or stop?
2. Whats the FIRST step to doing the above?
3. Do it, no matter how small.
4. Do it again, often.